Fallen Child 2: The Unforgiven [completed]

Part Twelve: Strong

"Paps made some spaghetti if you're hungry." He informs me as he flops down onto the couch.

I shrug, "I'm surprisingly not hungry. Maybe later, though." I sit down beside him. "Are you sure it's edible?"

"I was the test subject," He says with fake horror in his voice, "I braved the mysterious dish to make sure it was safe for the rest of the Underground."

I reply with fake shock and admiration, "You are such a brave soul. Only the strongest can bear that kind of test."

"Thank goodness the universe decided to spare me," We both burst out laughing.

My stomach hurts and there are tears in my eyes once we finish laughing and continuing the fake dialogue. The silence returns once again, and I hear a sound. Only this time, it's the sound of wind and idol chatter outside. I glance out the window behind me and I see that it's snowing.

"The weather isn't trying to kill literally everything and everyone today," I comment and make Sans snicker a bit.

"That's rare," He looks out the window as well. "There must have been a shift in the Earth's temperature or something."

"That is the only viable explanation for this phenomenon," I get up, going over to grab my coat and mitts.

"And what might you be doing?" Sans questions with a playful ring in his tone.

"I'm going for a walk," I state. "You could join me if you so please."

He lets out an over exaggerated groan and gets up, "I mean... I guess I could come with you. But you owe me for this."

"Owe you for asking you to walk with me?" I raise a brow, giving him an are-you-sure-about-that look.

"Owe me for saving your life yesterday, and possibly today if someone decides they want to have a bad time." He pushes himself up and off the couch, also grabbing some gear to keep warm.

I open the door, letting Sans go through first as I check that I have my keys, even though I'm sure that he had his too. Swiftly I lock the door, turning back to smile as Sans lends his hand to help me down the presumably icy steps.

"Thank you, kind sir," I can see him grin a little wider, even though he is trying to hide it.

"Any time, miss," He squeezes my hand gently, and for a moment neither of us let go. Then we both realize that we are holding hands in public, in the Underground, and let go nervously and break eye contact.

I take a moment to take in the environment: even though it felt freezing out here, the sun was shining through the barrier. The snow was glimmering with holographic properties, making the whole world seem a lot brighter and more hopeful.

"It's beautiful out here," I hear Sans say, and I turn to him to agree. He's looking at me already as if he... But that's crazy. He's never really shown a sign that he likes me, aside from taking care of me. That's just what he does, though, it's his nature to be caring. He's a caring comedian.

"Yeah, it really is," I respond finally, realizing that I had left him hanging for a good few seconds there. He smiles, beginning to walk towards the forest path. One of the safest paths down here, we had figured out.

"Frisk, I've been meaning to tell you something." Sans suddenly says as we get to the point marked with my old scarf, the point where Sans and I would meet up if anything went wrong and the other needed help.

He stops before we reach the clearing, and turns to me. He takes a few steps so that we are only a few inches away from each other. I can see his foggy breath and essentially sense the heat trapped in his coat.

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a while," He is nervous, I can tell from the way he is speaking and the way his hands are clenched.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me, Sans," I tell him reassuringly, knowing this must be vital based on the way he is acting.

He inhales a short breath, nervously scratching his arm. "I have had this gut feeling for around a year. I just thought it was a protective love, the kind that you feel for a dear friend or a loved one. Then I realized as time went on, it was something more than just a protective love, it was a... a true love. It was the kind of love where not knowing if you were safe or not caused me to look out the window every few seconds, or when you were hurt all I wanted to do was take the pain away. I just want to see you smile, see you laugh, see you be happy. I know that I can be a lot, I know that I can sometimes be too much, or try too hard. But I hope you know that I'm only like that because I really, really love you. I... I love you, Frisk."

The world seems to stop moving as those final words come out of his mouth. I feel my heart skip a beat, and a feeling of joy wash over me.

"I love you, too." My legs are suddenly in motion, and I am on my toes as I kiss him.